I just woke from the third dream of a series of closely connected dreams. In the first dream, I was told of a 'monster' or 'dangerous creature' that lived on a frozen river. My companion and I inevidably ended up on this river in the second dream. We heard noises, like some kind of animal was whining. He was quite scared, but I wasn't for some reason. It just didn't feel like a bad situation. He grabbed my arm and tried dragging me away from the river, but I refused to follow him. I explained that something wasn't right about the 'monster'.

The second dream found my companion and I face-to-face with said monster. It turned out to be a small penguin. A penguin?! ... the hell? The poor thing looked so lonely and pathetic. It came right up to me and snuggled against my leg, much like my cat when she knows I have food. It was so different from the evil creature that had been described to us. I wondered why.

The third dream took place in the house of a very nice family, where my companion and I brought the little penguin. The family was not human, though. They were... the only word I can think to describe them best would be Elementals (it's the D&D geek in me talking). They seemed comfortable and well adjusted, which made me think that they were actual residents of the Dreaming. They promised to take good care of the penguin, and I knew the penguin would be right at home there (they're house was made of ice with watery floors and stone walls). My companion and I were asked to stay as the family's guests for a while, and we obliged. We were shown a beautiful, crystalline world of ice and eternal winter and we met a very kind, peaceful and serene people that inhabited the world. We told them that we were dreamers and they seemed absolutely fascinated by that.

At the dream's end, I cuddled the little penguin in my arms. I had grown rather fond of the little animal, and he seemed to be quite attached to me as well. Like a puppy. I was sad because we were leaving him behind, but happy because I knew he would be loved and well taken care of. My companion and I said our goodbyes and thank yous to the family and the other beings we had met and left that world. I woke up shortly after.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience, and I was grateful to have seen a beautiful new world and a friendly people. My question, silly as it may sound, is: What the hell? A penguin? I mean... where did that come from? Was the penguin truly a penguin, or was it a creature that my mind could only transelate as 'penguin'?

Interesting...